Automated Prepress Workflow Increases Efficiency

Avoiding a bad trap

Trapping compensates for misregistration between printing units on a multicolor press, which can cause gaps or white spaces on the final printed packaging. It involves creating overlaps (spreads) or underlaps (chokes) of objects during prepress to counter misregistration.

Many printers and converters historically have been uncomfortable allowing automatic, rules-based trapping. However, many automated trapping systems have become pretty sophisticated and all-encompassing, with predefined presets of rules and exceptions to trap the file that cover just about any kind of situation. These systems can trap files in a matter of seconds.